Help Me Remember
by FromFlowersToAshes
Summary: Inuyasha finds a forgotten girl in the oddest of ways and makes a deal with her. Silly Inuyasha, don't you know any better? Making deals with half demons never work out as hoped. You'll just end up breaking her heart.
1. White Hair And Purple Eyes

"What's that weird smell…" whispered Inuyasha to himself. He sniffed a couple of times before giving up. He had bigger things to worry about. Such as kicking Koga's ass for talking to Kagome. He could hear the rest of the group behind him, Miroku was yelling for him to stop. Of course, Inuyasha ignored it and kept going in the direction of Koga's smell, ignoring the other one.

He came to an abrupt halt when he reached a small village. The strange unidentified scent was stronger… Inuyasha couldn't figure out what it was, not human but not demon. He tried to shake his head and clear his thoughts, but the smell was sort of intoxicating. He felt someone grab his shoulder. He whipped around and saw Kagome catching her breath, with Shippo, Miroku, and Sango on her heels.

"Inuyasha… *gasp gasp* what the heck is *gasp gasp* your problem!?" said Kagome, out of breath. She seemed to want to reprimand him, but stopped when she saw the expression on his face. "Inu…yasha?"

Miroku, Sango, and Shippo had finally caught up with them. "Inuyasha, we thought you would've run forever!" said Miroku, laughing slightly while catching his breath. He was about to make a joke but Kagome stopped him.

"Inuyasha… what's wrong?" Inuyasha's face was tense and concentrating on the scent. Shippo tried to jump and see his face better, but Inuyasha swatted him out of the way. Before starting another question, Kagome gasped, "A… jewel shard!"

This made Inuyasha whip his head toward her. "Jewel shard, eh!?" he was energized again. "Well, where is it woman!?"

"Follow me…" said Kagome as she started towards the center of the small town. Everyone followed her, watching intently and readying their weapons. Not once have they acquired a jewel shard through peaceful manners.

"Here it is." Kagome stopped at a small building. No more than one story, and kind of grubby looking, it didn't stand out among the rest of the buildings.

"Hm… " said Inuyasha, who couldn't help but realize that the weird smell also seemed to be coming from the dingy looking building. Unable to tell if it was dangerous, he told the others "I'll go in. You guys stay here… I don't know what's in there."

Kagome prepared to protest, but Sango cut her off. Sango realized that something wasn't right, Inuyasha was acting weird. "Okay Inuyasha… we will stay here, call us if you need help." Kagome wanted to glare at Sango, but she also knew that Inuyasha was being weird.

"As if I'll need help." Said Inuyasha as he walked up to the building. Putting his hand warily on the doorknob, he turned it. The room inside was lit fairly well, and was kept remarkably clean. There was no furniture except for a desk with a man standing behind it, and a door that was locked behind the desk.

The man behind the desk looked to be about twenty five, and was well dressed. At the sound of the door closing, his head snapped up, and he greeted Inuyasha with a blindingly white smile. "Welcome sir! Welcome!"

Inuyasha took another step towards him, still not sure what type of building it was. His head was clouded with the strange smell. It was a sort of demon… How in the world could he find out what that smell was!? He cleared his throat and took a shot at it, "Uh… do you have any demons?"

The man just looked at him approvingly. "Well well, sir, you have expensive tastes! I am afraid that we have no full blooded demons, they are far too hard to catch, but we do have a half demon!"

That's what the smell was! It was a half demon! But… why would they be holding a demon in this old building?

"Would you like to see her, sir?" Inuyasha nodded slowly, and the man unlocked the door behind him. "Follow me then." With another smile, he disappeared into the door. Inuyasha took in a deep breath, and followed him in.

Inside the door was a dark stairwell. It seemed to go on for a while, and Inuyasha felt the pulse of life. He followed the man down, for what seemed like three stair wells. The only light was the occasional light torch hanging from the wall. The man stopped at a door that was heavily locked. There were several different types of locks on it.

The man fiddled with his keys, and finally was able to open the door. Inside, it was pitch black except for a pair of purple eyes that seemed to be glowing in the darkness. The man grabbed one of the light torch's and shed some light in the small dark room.

There was a girl in there… she had white hair chopped to her shoulders crudely. Her skin shone eerily, as if the moon was shining on her. There was a jewel shard on her forehead, hidden by her bangs. It glittered when the light shone it.

Inuyasha took a step back… finally realizing what business that this was. It was a slave trade. How the heck could they capture a half demon!? _Obviously a weakling _thought Inuyasha. The man beckoned him to get closer, "No worries, these chains keep her power under control." Inuyasha's eyes were drawn to the shackles around her wrists and ankles, which were attached to the wall. "Would you like a moment, sir?"

"Uh… yeah…" Inuyasha stared at the jewel shard, with only one thought at mind. To get at it. The man bowed, and closed the door, leaving Inuyasha and the strange half demon girl alone. The light burned dully.

"What would you like?" asked the girl, who seemed annoyed at the entire situation.

"The jewel shard." Something flickered in the girl's eyes, but other than that, no other emotion was shown.

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Heh, we'll see about that." Inuyasha advanced towards her, and extended his hand to grab her jewel shard. He was just about to grab it, when something electrocuted him. "Aaaaaaugh!? What the hell is that!?"

The girl laughed bleakly, "I'm afraid the owner of this place wants to make sure he gets his money's worth."

Inuyasha glared at her, a million thoughts racing through his mind. Such as, if he left her here, someone else could grab that jewel shard. Plus… I guess you could say he felt a twinge of remorse for her situation. "Fine… if I get you out of here, will you give me your jewel shard?" growled Inuyasha.

"Hm…" the girl thought for a moment, "I won't promise it to you… but we can surely discuss it."

_Heh, she is planning on running the second we get outside. Oh well, if that happens I will just have to fight her for it. And, since she got captured by humans, it should be easy_ thought Inuyasha. "Fine… have it your way." Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsaiga and held it inches from her face. "Ready?"

The girl gulped, and mumbled, "Ready…"

Inuyasha gripped onto Tetsaiga, and started the task of breaking the barrier. It was harder than he had expected. _Man, this guy put quite a barrier on her…_

Finally, the barrier was broken. The girl's eyes flashed at once, and her shackles disintegrated into thin air. Inuyasha paid little notice to that, and grabbed her arm. He broke the door down, scaring the man who was waiting outside. "HEY!? WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?" yelled the man as Inuyasha raced up the steps, dragging the girl behind him. Once he was outside, he ran past his group and into the woods. He let go of the girl and she toppled onto the ground.

"Okay, hand it over." Said Inuyasha.

"I think not." said the girl. "We said we would discuss it."

"Heh, whatever you say." He unsheathed Tetsaiga again, and held it in front of her.

"So that's how you would like to play?" said the girl as she grinned.

"We could do it the easy way… you know, the one where you just hand the jewel shard over."

"Hm… tempting, but no."

Inuyasha laughed to himself, "Your funeral." He thought about just taking her out with wind scar, making it easier on himself. But he was looking forward to seeing what she would do. He waited for her to make the first move.

She smiled at him, amused. She jumped up, and momentarily blocked the sun from his view. "Dragon Death!" yelled the girl. A light came out of her palm, it was purple, and headed towards Inuyasha. It was shaped as a dragon, and knocked him off his feet! He went flying about fifteen feet, stunned from what happened. He wasn't prepared, so Tetsaiga had went flying in the opposite direction.

She was there in a second, prepared to do another attack. But he was ready for her, "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" his attack had caught her in the stomach, a faint amount of blood showed on her white kimono. She grabbed a throwing star from her pocket, and dipped it into her blood.

"Burning Blood!" she threw the throwing star at Inuyasha, where it hit him on the hand. He pulled it out, ignoring it.

"Is that the best you can do?" yelled Inuyasha to the girl. She just smiled at him, and he looked back down to his hand. It was turning a strange shade of red… and he couldn't feel it anymore. It was practically useless! While she was smirking at him, he had run to grab his Tetsaiga.

He lunged forward, trying to sever her head from its shoulders, but she was too fast for him. _Damn… She's fast… I can't keep up! Even for a half demon… this isn't normal!_ She wasn't ready for this burst of power from him, and tripped over a root jutting from the ground.

He advanced towards her, with his sword practically touching her nose. "Nice knowing you…" said Inuyasha, as he prepared to end the fight. He would've as well if someone hadn't yelled out "SIT" right before he was about to kill her.

He pummeled into the ground, dropping his sword once again. "Ka-go-me!!!" muttered Inuyasha, spitting out dirt that had gotten into his mouth from the "fall".

"What the heck do you think you're doing?!" asked Kagome, staring at the strange girl.

"She has a jewel shard! She won't hand it over!!!" responded Inuyasha, who was still intent on killing her.

"I said I would discuss it…" mumbled the girl, who was standing up and brushing herself off. "But this mutt wouldn't hear of talking it over."

"I think that's a fine idea, Inuyasha." said Miroku, shaking his head at Inuyasha. "It's reasonable, and no one has to get hurt."

They were all sitting down, Kagome was making ramen, Sango was petting Kilala, and Shippo was occupied with a lollipop for the time being. Inuyasha looked grumpy, he was still upset about missing the chance of getting the jewel shard quicker. The strange girl was sitting silently. All this stupid chatter hadn't gotten anyone anywhere.

"What's your name?" started Kagome, stepping back from the boiling ramen.

"Haruhi." answered the girl.

"What does it matter what her name is!? She has the jewel shard!!!" yelled Inuyasha.

"Now now, you have to ignore our friend Inuyasha," stated Miroku, "He doesn't have any self control." He smiled pleasantly at the girl, plotting a way to touch her but later on.

"Wah!?" Inuyasha was boiling with rage.

"Inuyasha… don't' make me say the S word." Inuyasha's ears flattened on his head, and he shut up for the time being. "So, Haruhi, tell us about the jewel shard… and how you got in such an awful place like the slave trade!"

Haruhi looked nervous all of a sudden. She wasn't used to company, and Inuyasha could appreciate that much. No one wanted to be with a half demon, it was bad blood. She took a deep breath and began her story.

"Well, you see, I was traveling not long ago, and I had come across a little girl. She was only about six, and she didn't see the half demon side of me like everyone else did. She was sweet, like the sister I didn't have. " The girl paused, "Well, I watched over her from afar. She knew I was there, but her parents would never have allowed it if they knew. Her name was Uotoni. Well, I was out one day, taking a bath. During this time, a single demon had come to Uo's small town and massacred it. The stench was unbearable… and then I saw Uo… she wasn't spared. I was mad… and I tracked down the killer. He called me pathetic for loving humans… and then he attacked me. That's the only memories I have. I woke up in a medicine woman's house, and she used the jewel to save my life. It's my life line, and I have to find the demon to get my memory back. I persisted in leaving the medicine woman's house, and managed to get caught when I was still healing." Miroku looked to Sango, who must've been relating it to Kohaku's peril.

Inuyasha was quiet, contemplating what she had said. He wondered why she was so open about it. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to deny any part of her story. She had no memories except for the death of the girl and the slave trade.

"What was his name?" asked Inuyasha, "the demon…"

"Naraku." whispered Haruhi.

Everyone was silent after that. Haruhi didn't know where she was from, or if she had a family. She just remembered how she was captured, the little girl that had loved her like a sister's death, and a name that had haunted them all.


	2. Tears From an Angel? Riiight

There was an awkward silence for a while. Everyone was swimming in there thoughts. Inuyasha was pitying her but also was hoping that Haruhi wouldn't be asked to come along with them… He wasn't sure about her yet.

Kagome was thinking about how horrible that must've been to see her only source of family die in such a tragic way. She was seriously debating whether to ask her to come along on their quest to defeat Naraku. She kept on glancing at Haruhi who now had her head down and nobody could see her face.

Shippo was reviewing the story in his head, trying desperately to understand what everyone was so serious about…. You see while she was telling her story, Shippo had a lollypop… and that explained why he didn't remember anything that she said.

Miroku felt bad for her, sure! But… if he only inched a few more inches closer he would have a perfect access to her behind!

And Sango, she was thinking about Kohaku and the similarity between the two. Haruhi can only live through the jewel shard that Inuyasha wanted… and Sango knew firsthand just how badly Inuyasha wanted the jewel shard to himself. And, although he wouldn't end Kohaku's life that way… she wasn't sure how long Inuyasha would keep Haruhi alive.

"So… thanks for talking to me." said Haruhi quickly as she stood up. She turned to walk away and Inuyasha stood up as well.

"Hey!!! You can't just leave with that jewel shard!!!" He yelled after her.

Without stopping, she responded with, "Look, I can't exactly give it to you either. I'm not going to ask for death like that!"

"Grr…" mumbled Inuyasha. He jumped ahead of her. "You're not going anywhere!" He yelled again, and he grabbed her shoulder forcefully.

"I'm flattered that you want me to stay." Haruhi said sarcastically. "But, I must be going. You know, places to go demon's to kill."

"Not without giving me that jewel shard!!!" Inuyasha shook her hard. But Haruhi didn't let up her ground. Kagome ran to the two and tried to pry Inuyasha off of her!

"Inuyasha! Let go of her!" screamed Kagome. "Can't you guys just figure out a way to settle it and be done with it!?"

"I'm all for that idea. How about a battle." said Haruhi through the shakes. "I know I have you pinned for that one." She smiled to herself.

"Pft! As if!" yelled Inuyasha.

"Look, I'm getting really tired of this…" growled Haruhi.

"You and me both! So just give it over!"

"I have a better idea." whispered Haruhi as she reached swiftly for something stored in a holster about the size of a pencil. She whipped out a fan with a blade for an edge. "I have had a lovely time here, but like I said, it's time to go!" And with that she swiped the fan in front of Inuyasha, forcing him to let go of her.

Meanwhile, in the background, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were watching the trio curiously. When the fan was brought out though, Sango started to run towards them, with intent of protecting Inuyasha who could be an idiot at times like these.

She arrived quickly, even with the Hirakote on her back. "Okay okay!" yelled Sango over all the chaos. "Let's do this fairly!!!"

Inuyasha snarled, "No! You guys stay out of it, we ARE going to have a battle. And whoever wins gets what they want!"

"Heh, so you're finally starting to use your brain, eh dog boy?" said Haruhi mischievously.

"That's what you think wolf girl!"

Kagome and Sango back off once they saw that this was going to be a real battle. Neither of them would be allowed to help, so they both retreated back to the tree they were sitting in. "I can't believe this!" muttered Kagome under her breath. "Inuyasha is fighting her again… what if he looses?"

"I think that even if he looses, once Naraku is defeated, she will give up her Jewel Shard. She doesn't seem to care much for anything but that little girl… and once she avenges her, she won't put up a fight for it." replied Sango.

"I think you should both be quiet so we can watch this!!!" said Miroku loudly. Both girls glared at him and he shut up quickly.

"You know, Miroku." whispered Shippo, "You need to learn better timing."

*back to Haruhi and Inuyasha*

Both were standing about a meter apart when the fighting began. Inuyasha lunged with his Tetsaiga and started swinging wildly at her, creating small slashes in her Kimono… again! "Jeez, dog boy, you don't let up, do you?"

"Not a bit, wolf girl." He swung again and slashed her cheek.

"Now you're in for it!" Haruhi yelled. She swung the fan, which actually looked flimsy… Inuyasha wasn't prepared for what was going to happen. She stood still and held the fan in front of her face. "Time to die, dog boy." she muttered under her breath.

Without even saying anything the fan started to glow purple… and Inuyasha didn't want to wait to see what happened. "WIND SCAR!" he yelled and a burst of energy came out of his sword towards Haruhi. Her eyes grew wide and she couldn't move quickly enough to dodge the Wind Scar.

The fan became normal again and seemed to disintegrate into thing air when the Wind Scar hit it… and she was then hit head on. Her fragile body disappeared into the abyss of power. "Heh, bye bye wolf girl." muttered Inuyasha.

When the smoke cleared Haruhi's body was on the ground… and she wasn't moving. Inuyasha started walking towards her, expecting her dead. He did feel bad about it… the girl was interesting and fun… though he'd never admit it. And he also felt bad that she didn't get to see Naraku dead… but he could take care of that.

He reached Haruhi, and she had a tiny amount of blood coming from her mouth along with a lot of bruises. He wasn't expecting her eyes to flutter open. He jumped back at that, but remembered why he was there and what he was doing. He went back to her and stood over her…

It was pitiful really… she didn't seem to know what had happened… and a groan escaped her mouth. Inuyasha pulled out his sword again and her eyes widened. "Don't kill me…" she groaned… and surprisingly a tear slipped from her purple eye. "I have to…. I have to get him… he can't get away with it…." more tears now.

Inuyasha was silent as he stared at her in amazement. He couldn't make himself kill her! It was simple, just press harder on his sword and she'd be gone and he'd have his jewel shard. But… it wasn't working! He couldn't press down…

She continued to talk. "I just need to see him die… then you can have it… you can take it once he dies… just give me that…" And then her eyes closed again. She was out… and this would've been Inuyasha's chance. He groaned as he put Tetsaiga back…

He picked her up bridal style and her head lolled to his shoulder. You know… when he thought about it she was rather pretty… her white hair offset her skin even with all the dirt on it. And even though he couldn't see her eyes, he loved the way they glittered during a fight. Maybe he didn't realize it yet though. (a/n: This is some SERIOUS foreshadowing! Lol)

He brought Haruhi back to the group, who was in awe of what happened. They weren't expecting Inuyasha to use Wind Scar that quickly… and they really weren't expecting for him to bring her back!?

"Inu… yasha?" asked Kagome when he saw him walk past them, holding Haruhi. "Where are you going?"

"To the town. I think she needs some medical help. Even though she is half demon… a weak one at that." He looked back down at her unconscious face and smiled to himself. Kagome was the only one who caught that and she felt something in the pit of her stomach… and she wasn't sure she liked it.


	3. Scars Don't Fade

Haruhi distanced herself from everyone the rest of the day. She could feel Kagome's eyes boring her every time she saw her. Haruhi had a feeling that Kagome was mad that Haruhi could control Inuyasha too… which was not her intent at all. Haruhi stuck by the river for a long time… "Why couldn't I just have kept my stupid mouth shut?" she muttered to herself.

"Don't ask me…" said Miroku, who was passing by. He settled down next to Haruhi who had her head buried on her knees. (A/N: She's sitting with her knees up… you know, the fetal position, lol). "Why are you beating yourself up about it?"

She glanced at Miroku, wondering if she could trust him or not. "It's nothing."

"If it was nothing you wouldn't be sitting over here, alone." She was in awe for a moment, the monk had not seemed to be very insightful when she first met him.

"I just think that I am causing more trouble than I'm worth…" Miroku nodded, and didn't say anything back. He couldn't really change her mind about what she felt about herself. So, he just sat there and kept her company.

"I… I should go." muttered Haruhi, standing up. She walked towards the town and she grabbed the fan she had remade. She tucked it into it's holster and walked up to the rest of the group, who was sitting outside of Kaede's hut. Inuyasha had hit Shippo and Kagome was scolding him for it. Sango was petting Kilala who was purring on her lap…

"Thank you for helping me." She said, bowing politely. "But, I'll be on my way now." She turned away and started to walk out of town. Everyone was silent, not really expecting that… They had kinda gotten used to her… everyone except Kagome at least, who still had that bad feeling in her gut. She waved over her shoulder, smirking, yelling, "Nice meeting you, dog breath!"

"Ha, as if, flea bag!" yelled Inuyasha. She smiled again and kept on walking. (A/N We will be following Haruhi until said otherwise… so just imagine what everyone else is doing!)

She walked around for a while… Not sure where to look next. It started to get dark and she climbed up a tree, leaning back on the trunk as she observed everything happening. Most would think that she would sleep, grateful for rest, but she couldn't manage it. Haruhi kept watch, ready for battle.

After about fifteen minutes of that constant watch, she heard something rustling in the bushes. She tensed up as she leaned forward, peering through the mass of vegetation. She gripped the fan with a blade as her eyes searched for whatever was hiding…

A person, dressed in a white fur shawl thingy and a baboon mask walked out. Haruhi's breathing increased rapidly as she prepared to kill him. Him… the one that had taken everything that mattered, everything she could offer… Naraku.

"Now now, Haruhi… let's not be rash now, shall we?" spoke Naraku calmly.

"Heh, if by rash you mean ripping your head off of your body as we speak, then I guess I could kill you slower." growled Haruhi, jumping down from the tree, landing in a stance that just radiated hatred. She fanned open her fan swiftly.

"You really must learn to be patient, Haruhi."

"And you really have to learn to die." hissed Haruhi. "Enough with this mindless chatter, time to die."

She lunged towards him with lightening speed, but he moved just a second quicker than she did. She gasped as he disappeared before her eyes. He appeared behind her and she swiped again, missing him by a fraction of a millisecond this time.

"I'm impressed… You're fast."

"I'm impressed your still alive!" She yelled, a drop of sweat rolling off her face as she attacked again. And again, and again. He kept on dodging her. "Fight back, god damn it!" Shouted Haruhi.

"Aw, are you getting frustrated? Shall I just finish you off right now?" He reached out with his claw and scratched a long cut down her face. "Or shall we play this game some more?" He punched her swiftly in the stomach, making her double over in pain.

"You piece of…" she hissed, clutching her stomach.

He knelt down beside her. "I'm afraid it's your turn to die…" laughed Naraku cruelly, placing his hand over her forehead, fingering the jewel shard. "You've escaped death far too long now… and let's face it… you have been breathing much too long for my taste."

"No!" She screamed as she scratched him, which he, surprisingly, wasn't prepared for. He backed off for a moment as she grabbed the fan again and swiped his face again, destroying the baboon mask. She held the blade to his throat, grazing the skin. "You bitch…" muttered Naraku. "You're out of breath now… let me fix that for you!" He grabbed her around the throat, squeezing it menacingly. "Aw… looks like I've stolen your breath." He laughed evilly, his cold black eyes boring through her innocent purple ones.

"N-n-never…" gasped Haruhi, struggling to stay conscious. She dropped her fan to the ground, it floating to the ground gracefully as she felt her hand go limp by her side… her heartbeat was pounding in her ears, begging for air. She squeaked out her last threat as a tear slid down her cheek.

At the very moment she let the tear slide down her cheek, someone cloaked in red ran through the trees and held a sword to Naraku's head. "Let go of her… now." threatened a voice Haruhi recognized… but she was a little bit occupied at the moment to try and figure it out.

She felt the hands on her throat loosen up and drop her on the ground, where she gasped for air. Her hands clutched the ground just to be able to have something to hold onto for support. She opened her eyes and the world seemed to be spinning… people were talking… shut up please….

She saw the figure that was Naraku stand up and look at the person holding a sword to his head. "Kill me." He said, completely calm and collected. She struggled to stand up and give him a piece of her mind…. But her legs wouldn't work… Great time for your body to fail.

The red figure ran his sword through Naraku and her breath caught in her throat… but deep inside she knew it was just a puppet… Just another fake minion to do Naraku's dirty work. She spat on the ground, as if that was enough to show her distaste towards Naraku.

The red figure walked up to her and kneeled before her, examining what was wrong. She still couldn't see properly and was gasping for air… but she had a better control of things. Her hands had stopped clutching at the ground and she heard him ask, "Are you okay?"

"Y-y-yeah… he got away…" She gasped… not knowing who the hell she was talking to. She sighed and closed her eyes… falling into a deep sleep.

She woke up later that night, with a fire burning in front of her. She squirmed a little bit, trying to get comfy… She yawned… cuddling into… what was she cuddling into? She yelped as she realized she was cuddling into a sleeping Inuyasha! "How the hell did he find me!?" She asked herself. His ears twitched when she spoke, so she opted for silence… as not to wake him. She studied him closely, the only light was the fire which was crackling peacefully. He didn't look as mean when he was sleeping… almost nice. Almost!

She smiled and curled closer to him, enjoying the first real human contact (other than fighting) since she lost her memory. Haruhi decided to enjoy it while she could… she wouldn't be able to stay with him again… she kept on making life hard for Inuyasha, which wasn't her intent. Although, it was fun to argue with him… she had nothing to give him for saving her all those countless times.


	4. GIVE HER BACK KOUGA!

Haruhi woke up and expected to still have an Inuyasha to cuddle into… not that she would ever admit she was enjoying it! She looked around and saw that Inuyasha wasn't even there… but the fire was just dying down so he must've been there recently. She yawned, rubbing her eyes to make sure she really was awake.

The entire night flashed back to her… Naraku's dirty hand on her neck… She growled from deep inside her chest as she thought about that stupid idiot even breathing the same air as herself. She remembered the red figure… who she assumed was Inuyasha, running his sword through him. She had to admit that she was jealous that she wasn't the one to destroy that stupid puppet.

She attempted to stand. She brushed off her white and black kimono as she glanced around the forest. Where could Inuyasha have gone? She wanted to leave, and keep going on her quest to defeat Naraku… but she did owe it to Inuyasha to give him a thank you. Haruhi leapt up the tree, scanning over the tree tops for any sign of him… none… She sighed and climbed back down, she was a little bit pissed that he would leave so suddenly. She kicked some dirt over the dying embers to make sure they wouldn't cause a forest fire and then sniffed at the air, trying to detect Inuyasha's scent. He was close… She sniffed again and started to run swiftly through the trees, dodging them elegantly. If you were watching from afar you wouldn't see her… but instead just see the leaves falling from the trees from being disturbed by the sudden motion.

She sniffed again, she was getting close. She came through a clearing, where Inuyasha had his back to her… he was talking to someone… She ducked behind a tree quickly to observe what was happening. There was a lady there… it was like a deathly pale Kagome… She had a bad feeling about this… He looked like he was stuck in some sort of trance as he followed her farther into the forest. Haruhi rolled her eyes, cursing herself for being so nosy… and yet she followed them deeper and deeper into the forest.

She was trying desperately to be quiet… although she really didn't think Inuyasha would notice her, he was too infatuated with the girl who looked like Kagome. She focused in on her… the strange woman was wearing a traditional miko garb and she had little soul collectors flying around her. She smelled of funeral soil…

Haruhi was so focused on the pair in front of her she didn't notice the man creeping up behind her. The man grabbed her from behind and started to run away with her slung over his back. "Ah!?" Haruhi sputtered, confused by the sudden movement. She looked at Inuyasha, who hadn't noticed… Oh gods… "Inuyasha!!!" She screamed, hoping to break him from his trance… to no avail. "Men…" she muttered before taking one last shot at waking Inuyasha up, "INUYASHA SNAP OUT OF IT!" He finally averted his gaze off of the strange woman and on to her. His emotions would've been very comical if she wasn't in such dire need of help.

Inuyasha's face changed from annoyance, to surprise, to anger. "KOGA! BRING HER BACK!" Yelled Inuyasha as Haruhi managed to elbow the man he called Kouga in the side. Inuyasha left the lady there as he flitted over the tree tops after them. "Kougaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Let me go you freak!" Haruhi sputtered. No matter how much she twisted and turned he wouldn't let her go! She tried to bite him… but that didn't work, he had too good a hold on her. She growled from annoyance, this was far too much for her taste. "Hey Inuyasha, any time would be nice."

"Gr, it's harder than it looks." growled Inuyasha loud enough for her to hear. She saw some other demons go to attack Inuyasha… she didn't want to admit it but their forces combined didn't seem like it would sway Inuyasha in the slightest. She saw him yelling at them and they ran away. _Thought so…_ But, in the amount of time Inuyasha had taken in sparing their lives, she and Koga had rounded a bend and were nowhere to be seen, gaining immense speed as time went on. Soon she was just plain old bored with the ride… she wasn't really worried or anything… she'd escaped more dire situations.

Finally he came to a stop, setting her down harshly on the ground as he stared at her for a moment. He had long black hair tied up in a pony tail, and she could smell that he was a wolf demon. She glared up at him from her awkward position on the ground. Standing up, she brushed herself off, "Well, it's been a blast, but I have to go."

Koga jumped in front of her, "Not so fast… so you're Inuyasha's newest girl?" Anger boiled inside of Haruhi as he referred to her as some sort of property of Inuyasha.

"No I'm not!" She growled, pushing past him. He just grabbed her and threw her back on the ground. "You know, that's awful annoying, how about you stop it?"

He ignored her sarcasm as he continued, "Hm… you're very different than Kagome… very, very different." He walked around her, scrutinizing every little detail about her, from the white hair, purple eyes and jewel shard in her forehead. His eyes brightened, "A jewel shard! How lucky of me!" He grinned as he reached towards her.

"Wah!?" stuttered Haruhi, only then realizing what he meant. Haruhi yelped as she yelled, "Get your filthy hands away from me!" She bit his hand as it advanced towards her for a second time.

"Arg!" growled Koga as he attempted for a third time, a fourth time, and continuously from then on. She just kept on dodging him. Again and again, even with his jewel shards she was faster. "Fine! We will do this the hard way!"

He grabbed her roughly by the wrists as he started again with running. "Again with the running, don't you do anything else!?" grumbled Haruhi. She made herself not complain the entire way… which would only make things worse. She glanced up at the sky… and she started to panic. It was the fifth day of the month… . Tonight was the night she would turn into a human! She tried to control her breathing so that Koga wouldn't notice anything wrong. _Crap…_ Thought Haruhi. The finally arrived to wherever they were going just as the sun was leaving the sky. He threw her to the ground, again. Haruhi decided to play it cool… no point in telling him her weakness!

A bunch of other, yet considerably weaker, wolf demons surrounded her. Haruhi gave them all a look of annoyance as she sat there on the ground, being scrutinized, once again. She couldn't help but huff a little bit. Could you blame her? She had been nearly killed twice, and now she was kidnapped. Great…

Koga instructed his men to help him… with what Haruhi couldn't make out… she just knew that it had to do with the jewel shard. She tried to keep her heartbeat slow… but it fluttered nervously in her chest. She covered it by scowling a bit, under the constant watch of the pack.

"Okay…" announced Koga, walking towards her. "Now, we just want the jewel shard, no harm done. If you give us that, we will even be kind enough to let you go." He seemed to be proud of himself for being that nice… What a dummy.

"I don't think so. I'm afraid you'll just have to accept defeat." muttered Haruhi, standing up, ready to fight for her life once again. Her eyes flickered to the sun which was just dipping underneath the mountains… Where was Inuyasha? She hated herself for wondering it… but he managed to show up when she needed him most…

"Hm… you're not going to make this easy for us are you?" growled Koga, ready to fight her for it. She wasn't sure whether she could take on the whole pack… but if she managed to take him down… maybe she'd have a chance?

It was too late though, the last rays of sunshine hid themselves for the night. Haruhi's hair started to slowly change from the glossy white to a dull brown and her purple eyes changed into deep green ones. Her body looked a bit tinier, if that was possible, and she shrank against the edge of the mountain, begging for a miracle. Any miracle.

Koga was taken by surprise as she turned into a human before his eyes. "Y-you're a half demon?" He sputtered. The only answer he got was a death glare from Haruhi. He grinned happily as he advanced towards her quickly. "Then this won't be nearly as hard."

She ducked under his reaching hands, narrowly escaping him. He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her back up. She spat in his face and clawed desperately at his arms, not giving up just yet. He held her head in place and she hissed at him from the back of her throat, even as a human she was a little bit scary… He placed his fingertips on the jewel shard, tugging lightly…

She screamed a blood curdling scream as the jewel shard was loosened on her head. The pain was burning into her skull… a searing pain that made every other sense in her body close down, only focusing on the pain. Koga hesitated before placing his fingertips back on the jewel… one more tug and she'd be gone forever. _No… No… NO! I can't die yet!_ Thought Haruhi blindly.

She was dropped to the ground and she heard Inuyasha… She had never been so happy to hear him in her entire life. She stood up shakily and grabbed a branch, ignoring the pain that plagued each step she took. She swung the stick, threatening any of the other demons to take another step closer to her. No one seemed to want to chance their life like that, so she was safe for a moment.

She could hear Inuyasha and Koga arguing as Koga dodged all of Inuyasha's attacks. She stumbled over to Inuyasha and grabbed onto his red kimono just before he lunged again. "Can we go now?" begged Haruhi, clutching at her head. Inuyasha's eyes shot from Koga to Haruhi, debating what to do. Haruhi seemed to be in pretty bad shape… but that mangy wolf was getting on his nerves a lot lately… this was his chance… He swallowed his pride and nodded. (For once in his life.) He yelled a string of cuss words at Koga who stood there dumbfounded that Inuyasha would give up on fighting him for a girl!

They walked for a moment, until they were distanced far enough away from Koga and his pack. "Hop on my back." ordered Inuyasha.

Haruhi looked at him like he was kidding. "You can't be serious." Inuyasha just rolled his eyes and flipped her on his back either way… it was odd… usually Kagome was the one on his back…. Not anyone else. It was strange. "Inuyasha?" mumbled Haruhi, who was really disillusioned. Inuyasha grunted in response. "Why do you always seem to save me? Are you a guardian angel or something?" It sounded like she was talking in her sleep.

Inuyasha tried not to laugh at that accusation… him? A guardian angel? Riiiight. "What in the world would make you think that!? Dumb wench."

"It's just because… in any other circumstances I would already have been dead… but you keep on saving me." Haruhi's breath tickled his ear as she spoke sleepily. "Who were you talking to this morning?"

Inuyasha's breath stopped momentarily at the mention of Kikyo. "Just an old friend…" he muttered, keeping his temper down. If she had been healthy he would've told her to keep her own business to herself.

"Why do you hang around with someone who's dead? Aren't they just cheating death?"

Inuyasha got defensive. "You're cheating death too, you know!? You should've died long ago! Don't make me regret saving you!"

Haruhi didn't really react, she just continued. "I know…" She yawned, "but… if I weren't alive…who would you be chasing after?"

"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing…" muttered Inuyasha, continuing on the treck, keeping tabs on how far they were from the camp they made last night.

"Hm… I dunno… hey… why did you come and save me the first time?"

Inuyasha's ears flattened on his head as he asked, "Which first time? The time I didn't kill you or the Naraku time." It was pitiful he had to count the ways she had been in danger.

"Hm… both…"

"Well… you started to cry when I was about to kill you… and I guess I didn't know how to handle it… Big mistake on my part." he muttered to himself. "And the second time, well… I could smell your blood in the air."

"What about the others? Aren't you worried?"

"Yeah… but they shouldn't get into too much trouble at Kaede's village… not a lot goes on there anymore…"

"I bet Kagome misses you…" he didn't really know how to respond to that… I mean, here he was, holding a different girl, protecting a different girl… he wasn't sure how it was possible… but he might've just gotten himself into a love square… He wouldn't admit it though… I mean, he was supposed to kill Naraku and then everything would be fine again. How could he be dumb enough to let relationships cloud his judgment!?


	5. Try to Leave, I Dare You

**Yo! Miss me? =) I can only hope you got the update on my other account. If you did, here's the NEW CHAPTER!!! **

**Disclaimer: Dang it… still don't own Inuyasha.**

Haruhi was so groggy, the night had been rough. Kouga's claws had dug into her wrists, severing some of her veins… It wouldn't have been much of a problem for her half demon form, but her meek human form was struggling with the blood loss. Inuyasha had attempted to help her, but she refused. She was nearly delirious from the pain. Human's were far too fragile. Not to mention the fact that Kouga had toyed with her jewel shard, it glowed and throbbed in the darkness. Inuyasha busied himself with making a fire. He acted nonchalant, ignoring her shaking body huddled against a tree. In reality he was worried. He had seen first-hand just how precious a human life was, and how hard it was to keep a human alive.

She looked odd as a human, not the way Inuyasha remembered. Her hair was matted with sweat and lost its previous shine and glossy color. Whenever he did get a glance at her deep green eyes, he was met with a glare. It was as if he was partaking in something secret…

After an hour of silence sitting by the warm fire, she spoke. "I'm not weak…" Her teeth chattered a bit, it wasn't anything compared to what she had been going through. "Don't forget that."

"Whatever." Inuyasha didn't look towards her. He didn't think she was weak. It was quite again. Her Kimono edges were laying on the ground, making it look like she was drowning in fabric. It was as if, with her confidence shaken, her entire body had withdrawn within itself. She appeared so tiny compared to the looming shadows and trees surrounding her. "What did Kouga do?" asked Inuyasha calmly.

"Nothing." Her head was resting on her knees, her legs folded against her torso. She was hugging her knees, her fists clenched. The darkness was overpowering, calling the shots.

"Good."

"Why?"

"He has a history of stuff like this…" muttered Inuyasha, memories flashing in his memory. He had to control his rage, not the time to get angry… Kouga had no right to touch anyone as if he owned them. He needed to learn that he wasn't the best thing on earth. Though, he did seem to have a way with Kagome, she always defended him. Inuyasha flattened his ears against his head, embarrassed at that memory.

"With Kagome?" Her eyes were dim, almost lifeless if it weren't for the reflection of the fire flitting in her dark pupils. Her voice was monotone, emotionless.

Inuyasha glared at her but answered with a harsh bark, "What does it matter?" He crossed his arms, scowling. He wanted to leave her there, she wasn't supposed to be his problem. All she did was cause trouble and ask questions. She was as bad as Naraku himself, if not more annoying.

"It really doesn't matter, does it?" She let her head rest on the back of the tree, her eyes looking up at the starry sky. A faint smile played on her mouth as she remembered what she could. Her memories were her life. She wasn't going to kill Naraku for her memories, she didn't want them as much as she wanted revenge. Though, it would be nice to know if she had a family or a home… Tears stung her eyes but she refused to let them fall. No use crying. "I'm going to leave tomorrow, when I'm back to my half demon self…" Her voice was soft, but had conviction.

"You owe me, remember? You ran off once, and I was kind enough to let you go. But now that I know you're such a danger magnet, there's no chance you're leaving again."

"I said I'm going." She glared at him a painfully icy glare. "Try to stop me dog boy."

"With pleasure wolf girl." She stood up, swaying a bit. Pathetic. She leaned against a tree, shifting her weight from one leg to another. Her breathing was heavy and labored, each breath an annoying requirement. She tried to walk forward, but her feet seemed too wobbly. She got about five feet before Inuyasha finally stood up, about two heads taller than her. She took another step and he put out his hand and placed it on her forehead, keeping her an arm's length away. "That was easy." muttered Inuyasha.

"Let me go!" She swung wildly, trying to hit him in the stomach. Even if she could reach, it wouldn't have had much of an effect on his rock hard stomach. He watched her amused.

"Nice try, wolf girl." She gave up and let out an annoyed growl. He grabbed her wrist and lead her back to her place next to the tree. She sat there, glowering at the fire.

"Do you get some sick pleasure in trapping me?" Her voice was clipped at the edges.

"Don't flatter yourself."

"No, I mean it." She lifted her head to look him in the eye. "Do you like watching me run around in circles only to come back to the same place?"

He sat there silent.

"Thought so…" She moved her eyes back towards the fire. "I didn't know the jewel mattered to you that much… You're willing to trap me like a mouse for it."

"I'm willing to do much more than that. You're dying in the end of this, remember?"

"I remember. I'm not dumb enough to forget that I'm going to die soon. I guess somewhere deep inside I'm hoping you'll forget."

"Not a chance."

"I know, but can you blame me for hoping? Or would you rather me beg for death here and now?" Her tone was sarcastic. "Pick one dog boy."

"I wouldn't be as cocky as you are right now." He smiled dangerously at her. "You're completely defenseless against me."

"No I'm not. You must be dreaming."

Within a fraction of a second Inuyasha was in front of her, her green eyes open in surprise. His hands had her wrists above her head in an all too familiar position that reminded her of the slave trade. She wanted to say something, but her heartbeat hitched in her chest and her breathing became erratic. She couldn't tell if it was from fear of her life or some other absurd emotion. "You are defenseless, admit it." He smiled to himself as he sat back down, releasing her.

"You won't kill me… I really doubt it."

"Why do you say that?"

"You cared enough to tell me I was defenseless."

"I think you're confusing what I was doing with something kind. You're delusional."

Truth was he did want her to know that she was in danger. Not only around him but around other demons… She had to know that even though she had poison in her words, that wasn't enough to protect her. She was in danger, she was just as fragile as a human. Her mouth got her into enough trouble that it was a surprise that she was still alive. She had already died once, you would think that she would've gotten the message from fate that she had to be more careful. Too bad she didn't seem to care, or if she did she didn't show it.

"Whatever dog boy." Said Haruhi, smirking.

"Go to sleep, wolf girl." responded Inuyasha with a growl. She saw through him better than anyone ever had. It might have had something to do with the fact they both knew the disgraces of being half demon, or it could've been that she was just as stubborn and rough around the edges as he was.


	6. A Kiss to End All Torment

**I'm putting off even MORE schoolwork to do this chapter! I don't mind, school's a bore . I apologize for all the hasty writing in the last chapter, I was racing against a clock!!! =)**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Inuyasha.**

Morning shone through the trees, making the entire place look a bit more innocent than it had before. The fire was dying down and a small trail of smoke was floating softly into the sky. Haruhi was leaning on the tree, her white hair back already. She seemed better, her breathing even. The cuts on her wrists were scanned over and healing quickly and the color was returning to her face. Inuyasha was in the tree above, switching from watching Haruhi protectively and watching the ever changing sky. Life wasn't supposed to be this complicated.

He sighed and shook his head, he wasn't meant for women. He was meant to destroy Naraku and other demons… Not to babysit. He was tempted to just snatch away the jewel shard right then and there to get over with it before it took a turn for the worst, which things had a natural way of doing. But, he couldn't do it… They made a deal, and if it were anyone else he would've said "Screw it" and beat them to a pulp, but her… She was different.

She would never back down, and he admired that. Her wolf blood stunk to him, as did his dog blood to her, but she looked almost pretty. Her whipped his head back up to the sky, ignorantly ignoring the painful leap in his heart. The sky was blue again, the sun just creeping up from its slumber… His ears swiveled around, listening. Peaceful, which wasn't common in the feudal era…

A twig snapped and he glanced down at where Haruhi was sleeping. She wasn't there, the only thing that remained was a slight indentation on the ground where she had sat, but nothing more. He stood up, sniffing frantically in the air, searching for her kidnapper. But, he didn't smell anyone… Just her. He jumped down and looked around. Another snap of a twig. He smelt her going farther and farther away and he started to run, close on her heels.

"Shit." Muttered Inuyasha, tracking her, hunting her. He could barely keep up with her, she was fast. He dodged a tree and hopped over a fallen log. He leapt up into the air, surveying the dense woods for the flutter of her white kimono.

There, he saw it, a flash of white. He barreled after her, his fangs barred in anger. How dare she think she can get away!? How dare she break the promise!? All she wanted was to use him, kill him, hurt him! No way was he about to let that happen. He picked up pace, closing in on her. She was gasping for air and frantically trying not to trip. He could smell fresh tears in the air and he gave one last bolt of energy, his clawed hands snatching at her Kimono sleeve.

He yanked her backwards and she crashed against him with a yelp. "Let go of me!" She screamed, struggling desperately. "Stop it! Let go!" She clawed wildly but he was far too angry to notice the small marks he was making against his skin. His free hand grabbed her hair and she hung there, grasping at her scalp.

"What did you think you were doing!?" growled Inuyasha. She spat in his face. "What the hell did you think you were doing!?" She wriggled more, her hair stretching her scalp. "Answer me!" Something inside him had ruptured, he wasn't normal. He wanted to kill her, he wanted the jewel, he wanted to have her blood on his claws. His eyes were tinted red and faint purple markings were showing on his face. He struggled to keep his demon at bay.

"Never!" She screamed at him, crying. Her sobs shook her frail body as she placed her hands on any amount of flesh she could find and she yelled with as much force as she could muster, "Wolf's Howl!" as a blood curdling howl sounded from no apparent place a shock rattled through Inuyasha's body, releasing his death grip on her hair. She took the opportunity and started running. Anywhere, it didn't matter. He wasn't the Inuyasha she remembered… His blood smelled differently. He smelled like a full demon. He wasn't going to talk about fighting it out, he wasn't going to save her, he was going to kill her if she didn't get away.

He was running after her, she could hear him plowing his way through the dense forest behind her. She swore under her breath. As far as she knew, she was one of the fastest things under the sun… But her strength was less prominent by far and slowed her considerably. She couldn't break through the masses of vines like he could. It didn't matter how fast she could run if there was nowhere to run! Thoughts clouded her mind as she thought of her options.

Option one: Death. (Let's not do that one…)

Option two: Try talking to him. (Yeah, let's see how well that goes. He doesn't talk even when he's normal.)

Option three: Climb a tree… But that was putting all of her eggs in one basket. He would either wait for her to starve (not likely) or just break down the tree…

Option four: Find Kagome. She knew how to control him.

"It's all I can do." muttered Haruhi as she dodged a claw. She picked up speed as she found a lapse of vines. Kagome's scent was faint but not far away. She tracked the scent back to the town from before. Inuyasha's snarls weren't far behind. Haruhi immediately regretted her decision when she saw that the entire town was awake. Inuyasha wouldn't stop for people to run away, he'd kill them. "Kagome! I could use some help!" Screamed Haruhi, hoping to rouse some attention. "Everyone, go find Kagome! And while you're at it, run." She turned to face Inuyasha, her feet dug into the ground in anticipation.

He stood before her, his eyes throbbing red. Haruhi sighed, she really didn't have time for such games. Inuyasha lunged at her and she dodged. His fangs were so long… He snapped at her when she came too close. His claws ripped at the hem of her already ripped up Kimono. She fought back, but her strength wasn't what it was… The rough night before affected her and she couldn't conjure up enough strength to hurt him drastically. So, for the time being, all she could do was hold him off… Though she couldn't do it for much longer.

She sighed a sigh of relief when she heard Kagome yell over all of the commotion. She ran towards him, surprising Haruhi. She was an odd human, and even odder for running straight for a blood thirsty demon. But, what happened next was even odder… She kissed him! Haruhi gawked from the side lines, unable to believe her eyes. What any normal person would've done was run…

Nothing special happened after she kissed him… She drew away, and Inuyasha snarled and knocked her aside. His eyes transfixed once again on Haruhi. She heard the monk scream over the chaos. "Kagome!" He rushed to her side and the demon slayer was next to Haruhi in only moments.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Haruhi, her voice small and tense as her eyes watched Inuyasha warily.

"That worked before." Muttered Sango, her body poised for battle. She glanced at Haruhi quickly and a spark lit up in her eye. "Hey, Miroku, come over here…" called Sango. The monk placed Kagome somewhere safe and ran over to them. Sango leaned in and whispered something to him. Haruhi watched quizzically, obviously an outsider to the conversation.

"I don't think we can do anything else…" muttered Miroku. He turned to Haruhi and said clearly "Why don't you try kissing him?"

Haruhi just looked at him blankly. "So… we're all just going to go around kissing him to see if he gets better!?" Her voice rose as she spoke, frustration and embarrassment causing a slight blush to form on her cheeks. She crossed her arms as she muttered, "Whatever… but if it doesn't work, you're kissing him next, monk." Miroku laughed nervously and gave Haruhi a friendly shove towards Inuyasha, who had death written all over his face.

Haruhi gave one last glare to Sango and Miroku before approaching Inuyasha. She was sore, but the pain was dull compared to her obvious embarrassment. As she neared Inuyasha he lunged for her, his claws just grazing her cheek. She glared at him. It was his fault. His fault, all his fault. His fault that she was here, his fault that she was hurt, his fault that she was going to end up dead… She growled and took a defiant step towards Inuyasha, who was growling madly.

Haruhi chewed on her lip as she grabbed Inuyasha's shoulders, the only thing forcing her to continue was the hope of living. Inuyasha started clawing madly at her back as she forced her body to get closer to him. Her body radiated hatred. He was just as bad as Naraku… Her lips pursed in an annoyed scowl before she thrust forward, blood from her clawed back soaking through her kimono. She didn't even notice.

Her lips were thrust with such strength that, if they were human, they would've bruised both of their mouths. She really didn't expect anything to happen. Nothing happened for Kagome, his supposed "friend" (she didn't buy it… there was no way that they were only friends) … But, as she kissed with everything she had inside of her, forcing all of her hatred, sadness, and loneliness into the kiss, Inuyasha's claws dropped from her back. Once she realized that he wasn't a threat, she drew away quickly, blushing…

His eyes were large and golden again, with a blush spreading quickly. Haruhi's lips were pink from the kiss, and she stalked off, rubbing them madly. She wanted that confusing feeling to be gone. Demons (or half demons) weren't supposed to be this confusing… They were just supposed to be… be… She growled, everything was so confusing.

Inuyasha stood there in the center of the beaten up town, confused and blushing. "What… Why did you do that!?" Yelled Inuyasha, trying to redeem his pride.

"Because Kagome couldn't." yelled Haruhi, not bothering to look back. The enormity of those words hung heavily on everyone… Kagome couldn't bring Inuyasha back anymore… Something must've changed. But, what? The only thing that was new was Haruhi… and they had only known her for about five days, maybe less… Kagome, who had been with them for about a year, had less power than Haruhi… And Haruhi hated it. At that moment, all she wanted to do was to go home. Too bad that she didn't know where home was.

**That one was long! =D I wrote it during Newspaper class… heh heh… =) I hope you like it! Review!**


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